UPDATE Weekly

Dave Richard, the North Carolina Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance, is scheduled to speak at the upcoming NCHCFA Convention in Greensboro. During the first session on Monday morning, Deputy Secretary Richard will be providing an update on various Medicaid issues that have been impacting nursing facilities across the state. This is a session that should not be missed.

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Time is running out, register today for the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo, February 15-18, 2015 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, NC. Don’t miss the opportunity to earn up to 14.5 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 13.5 hours of Nursing CE credit! To obtain an additional brochure visit the Member Center of the Association’s Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com.

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Register today for the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show, The Art of Caring, February 21-24, 2016 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC! Don’t miss the opportunity to earn up to 15.5 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 14.5 hours of Nursing CE credit! The advanced registration deadline has been waived. NCHCFA hopes to exceed its Annual Convention & Expo attendance record! To register or obtain an additional brochure visit the Member Center of the Association’s Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com.

If you have any questions or need additional details, please call the Association office at (919) 782-3827.

NCHCFA Convention registration will open Sunday, February 21st at 2:30 PM and remain open until 6:00 PM in the South Lobby of the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons.

Call the Sheraton at (800) 242-6556 to make your room reservation. Identify that you are with “NC Health Care Facilities Association 2016 Convention” to receive the group discounted rate.

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If you’re attending the NCHCFA Annual Convention & Expo, we are pleased to offer a multi-functional Convention App for this year’s event. With the NCHCFA Convention & Expo App you can:

• View the convention agenda
• View exhibitor information
• View attendee list
• Receive alerts & updates for the meeting
• Upload pictures from the event
• Participate in live polls
• Download session presentations
• View all important convention information
• Communicate with other attendees via the News Feed

All registered attendees will receive an e-mail with download instructions the week prior to the event! Instructions will also be included in the attendee notebooks!

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2016 Gold Convention Hosts for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo – The Art of Caring. Be sure to visit them at the booths on Tuesday, February 23rd during Expo 2016 – The Art of Patriotism.

Blue Ridge Pharmacy – Booths 531 & 632
Healthcare Services Group – Booths 526 & 528
Legacy Consultant Pharmacy – Booth 520
Medipack Pharmacy – Booths 213 & 215
Neil Medical – Booths 301, 303, 400 & 402
NH Medical Services – Booths 417 & 516
PruittHealth – Booths 323, 325, 327, 329, 422, 424, 426 & 428
Southern Pharmacy – Booths 501 & 503

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final version of a 2012 proposed rule that requires Medicare Parts A and B health care providers and suppliers to report and return overpayments by the later of the date that is “60 days after the date an overpayment was identified, or the due date of any corresponding cost report if applicable.” A separate final rule was published on May 23, 2014 that addresses Medicare Parts C and D overpayments.

The final rule implements Section 6402(a) of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), now also Section 1128J(d) of the Social Security Act. The provision impacted Medicare and Medicaid immediately upon implementation in March 2010. Section 6402 increased the penalty for failure to return overpayments from Medicare and Medicaid payments and mandated the timeline for returning those overpayments. Its impact solely under the statute has not been determined. CMS issued an implementing proposed rule on February 16, 2012 with comments due by April 16. AHCA’s comments are available here.

Section 6402 increases the penalty for failure to return overpayments from Medicare and Medicaid and mandates the timeline for returning those overpayments by providing a return deadline of 60 days after the identity of an overpayment.

• 60-Day Timeframe Further Defined: The 60 day timeline is a new requirement as stipulated in Section 6402. No timeline had ever before been provided. However, CMS did modify its interpretation of when the 60 day clock starts stating that “the 60-day time period begins when either the reasonable diligence is completed or on the day the person received credible information of a potential overpayment if the person failed to conduct reasonable diligence and the person in fact received an overpayment.”
• Look-Back Period Reduced: In the final rule the look-back period for overpayments is six years, reduced from ten years in the proposed rule.

Finally, as stated in the proposed rule, failure to report overpayments within the 60-day time period looking-back over six years could put providers at risk of a possible violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). Click here for AHCA/NCAL member guidance on the FCA.

In the near future, the American Health Care Association will produce a summary of the final rule as well as a suggested checklist of 60-Day Rule activities members should undertake to avoid challenges under the final regulation. If you have questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact Mike Cheek at mcheek@ahca.org.

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The State Board of Elections asked that NCHCFA provide to its members the linked fact sheet regarding the upcoming Primary election. The State Board wants to make sure everyone knows that, beginning this March, most voters at the polls must show a valid photo ID.

The NC State Board of Elections “is providing this guide for voting created especially for healthcare facilities. This guide is intended as a resource for residents, family members, caregivers, and administrators. It contains information about the new voter ID laws, and how to get a free ID. It also covers the exceptions and options for persons who do not have an ID or are unable to obtain an ID. It covers the options for voting and the process for voting at the polls. It provides information that will assist the voter in choosing where they go to vote. This guide also contains important dates. There are links to many resources including the State Board of Elections, County Board of Elections, DMV, and the Voter ID website.”

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2016 Silver Convention Hosts for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo – The Art of Caring. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 23rd during Expo 2016 – The Art of Patriotism:

Dixon Hughes Goodman LLP – Booths 633 & 732
Performance Foodservice – Booth 600
Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP – Booth 628
TMC – Booth 322

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This call will focus on infection control, highlighting Antibiotic Stewardship and community-wide efforts, including a presentation from a nursing home administrator. Common concerns related to the clash between individualized, person-centered care and the medical model of controlling infections will also be addressed. This is critical for residents with dementia, who often struggle to complete complex tasks and may have issues with continence. Additionally, CMS subject matter experts will share information about the upcoming Infection Control Pilot Project, as well as updates on the progress of the National Partnership and Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI). A question and answer session will follow the presentations.

Thursday, April 28th; 1:30-3:00pm ET

To Register: Visit MLN Connects Event Registration. Space may be limited, register early.

The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes and QAPI are partnering on MLN Connects Calls to broaden discussions related to quality of life, quality of care, and safety issues. The National Partnership was developed to improve dementia care in nursing homes through the use of individualized, comprehensive care approaches to reduce the use of unnecessary antipsychotic medications. QAPI standards expand the level and scope of quality activities to ensure that facilities continuously identify and correct quality deficiencies and sustain performance improvement.

Discussion Topics:

• Antibiotic Stewardship, involving urinary tract and respiratory infections
• Infection Control Pilot Project
• QAPI
• National Partnership

Target Audience: Consumer and advocacy groups, nursing home providers, surveyor community, prescribers, professional associations, and other interested stakeholders

Continuing education credit may be awarded for participation in certain MLN Connects Calls. Visit the Continuing Education Credit Information web page to learn more.

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Join Alliant Quality for a 30 minute, monthly series!

1st Wednesday of the Month
March 2, 2016: 1:00 pm
Prescribing Quality: Safe and Effective Use of High Risk Medications
Presented By: Dr. Sharon Clackum, PharmD

To join this webinar and call:

1. Click or copy and paste this URL to your web browser: https://qualitynet.webex.com
2. This should bring you to the QualityNet e-University Web page
3. Locate the event you wish to join and click “Join” (located to the right of the event title)
4. Enter your name and email address as prompted
5. Enter the password: coordination
6. The automatic system set-up should start at this point. If a dialogue box appears, click run. Please note, the automatic system set-up does take a few minutes to complete.
7. Dial in to the teleconference: (800) 618-4714. There is not an access code.

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UPDATE will not be published next week due to the Association’s Annual Convention and Exposition, but will resume publication on March 2, 2016.

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The book presents specific care strategies for all stages of dementia and emphasizes relatively simple interventions that nurses can incorporate into their care plans to prevent problems or address them before they escalate. The guide distinguishes between dementia and conditions that mimic dementia, discusses issues related to specific care settings, presents person-centered strategies for families and care partners, and covers the assessment and management of pain, safety concerns, communication strategies, and ethical and legal issues. It additionally provides numerous resources that nurses can offer to caregivers. Fast Facts for Dementia Care will serve as a daily companion for all clinical nurses who work with older patients in any setting, including the emergency room, medical-surgical unit, medical office, and community mental health settings.

Key Features:

• Easy to use and carry in all patient settings
• Provides communication techniques for different stages of dementia
• Describes numerous interventions for addressing issues such as pain, safety, behaviours, and ADLs
• Includes the “Fast Facts in a Nutshell” feature for quick reference
• Illustrates content with case vignettes

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343.

Product #8293
AHCA MEMBERS $30.00

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If you missed Upcoming Hospice Regulations seminar, the notebook/presentation is now available for purchase. To order, e-mail your request to Donna Snyder at donnas@nchcfa.org. The cost is $25 plus tax and shipping.

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The marriage between life enrichment and marketing

http://www.mcknights.com/guest-columns/the-marriage-between-life-enrichment-and-marketing/article/470630/

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Every year, American households receive a total of 104.7 billion pieces of junk mail, or 848 pieces of junk mail per household. Approximately 44% of junk mail goes to landfills unopened.

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